Verdant Vista Blog

Written on Monday, December 22, 2014Last updated on Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Click for a larger version

Anyone who's tried Image Averaging knows that once you've flattened your layers, you're left with a pile of "unneeded" images left over once you've created your final IA. I've been thinking about how else these could be used. There is the single frame for a short exposure version of your image, but why limit yourself to these two options. You can select any number from your set, as long as they are sequential, to create a exposure time equivalent of anything from the shutter speed of a single frame right they way up to the total long exposure equivalent you get from image averaging all the frames. This in effect allows you to choose the exposure time once you get back to base.

So in terms of creative photography, I thought about taking this one step further and blending these exposure times into a single image. In the example I want to present here I'll be blending a long exposure sea with long, medium and fast exposure sky.

Welcome to the latest instalment of the Peco & Peel Photography Ordeal.

Peco and I have a simple system for location choices - we get shots each at choosing the location we'll be shooting. It's simple and fair - we had to implement this system because Skye was becoming a recurring theme. Not that there is anything wrong with Skye you understand, but consecutive visits where various falls on arses and a lack of luck with optimum photography weather gets you down. So the "shots each" system at least works for ensuring some variety of locations in which to experience useless photography but great camping weather - as well as the obligitory slips and slides.

It was Peco's pick this time so I was expecting to be heading back to Skye again. Instead the Moray coast was the destination of choice. As luck would have it, the timing for the trip was serendipitous as there is a sunrise event that happens for about a week, twice a year. That is, the sun rises through the sea arch, the Bow Fiddle Rock, at Portknockie in Moray. This happens in May and August. I noticed this a while ago when I was messing with The Photographers Ephemeris and had the place in mind for some future visit.

This trip nearly didn't happen. Coming on the back of the recent outing to Seton Sands I wasn't really expecting Ross "Can't" Scott to be up for a repeat so soon. Sure enough he wasn't, but a quick reminder of what he said while shooting on the previous trip...

"Is this not the greatest hobby in the world? Out the house, beautiful landscapes and fresh air!"

His own wisdom changed his mind and the Peco & Peel travelling photography circus was on another mission! This time St. Monans (or St. Monance if you prefer). And Peco was driving \o/

I've been seeing shots of the wreck here many many times on Flickr and they are all pretty excellent. It's a really nice shot when you get it right. Lately Scott Masterton had been posting some crackers from this place and it made me want to go. Worse, the night he took these shots I was going to go to this exact spot but the weather looked ropey and I didn't bother... kicking myself or what?!

Anyway, the Peco & Peel Touring Photography Circus decided to scout this place out. I checked some tide times vs capture date/times and found that we might actually be pushing it to get there before the tide came too far in and covered the wreck.

As always, Ross and I have been talking about heading out for a wee trip for some time. Talking you understand. Ross "can't" Scott is sometimes difficult to pin down to get an nice evenings shooting done. To be fair I've not exactly been uber motivated myself, spending most of my time developing my content management system for my business.

In this wee outing I got a wee bonus in that we headed out early. With a full 6 hours of shooting ahead of us, we where both well excited - it's always the little things :) The plan was to dot about various places but end up at the X Class submarine wreck out at Aberlady Bay.